Filippoi Explained

Filippoi
Name Local:Φίλιπποι
Type:municipal unit
Periph:East Macedonia and Thrace
Periphunit:Kavala
Pop Municunit:10133
Pop Community:796
Population As Of:2021
Area Municunit:238.8
Elevation:78
Coordinates:41.0167°N 41°W
Postal Code:640 03
Area Code:2510
Licence:ΚΒ

Filippoi (Greek: Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Φίλιπποι, Philippi), is a village and a former municipality in the Kavala regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece built on the Via Egnatia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kavala, of which it is a municipal unit.[1] The municipal unit has an area of 238.751 km2.[2] The 2021 census reported a population of 10,133 for the municipal unit and 796 for the village. The ruins of ancient Philippi are located in the municipal unit.

Cultural Sites

The most important cultural event of the town is its annual festival, held since 1957. It takes place in the Ancient Theatre of Philippi during the high season with ancient and modern performances, ballets and concerts by theatrical troupes, orchestras and bands.[3]

This ancient Greek theatre dates to 357 BC, possibly built King Philip II.[4] It was first restored in 1957 by Dimitris Lazaridis with a view of holding the festival.

The town has an Archeological Museum with two floors of exhibition space and houses four major collections from pre-historic to Early Christian.

On the outskirts of the town at the riverside is an outdoor Baptistery, built on the site where it is believed the purple merchant, Lydia of Thyatira, and her household were baptised by the Apostle Paul around 49/50 AD.

Twin cities

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text. el. Government Gazette.
  2. Web site: Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation) . National Statistical Service of Greece . el . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf . 2015-09-21 .
  3. Web site: Festival of Philippi (Φεστιβάλ Φιλίππων) . 2009-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713132600/http://www.kadmusarts.com/festivals/1095.html . 2011-07-13 . dead .
  4. Web site: Ministry of Culture and Sports | Philippoi .